SMALT
It's a
ground blue potassium glass containing cobalt used among the 15th and the 18th
centuries. In Europe the use of smalt as an artist's pigment was widespread
certainly as early as the late sixteenth century. Smalt was popular because of
its low cost and its manufacture became a specialty of the Dutch and Flemish in
the 17th century. Smalt is a very good dryer.
Pastels can be hard
or soft:
* Soft pastels have
more pigment and less binder.
*Hard pastels have
less pigment and more binder than soft pastels.
Pastel artwork can
either be referred to as a “pastel”, a “pastel painting”, or a “pastel
drawing”.
The difference
between a pastel painting and a pastel drawing:
A pastel painting
refers to a pastel artwork in which the paper is fully covered in pastel. If
the surface of the paper is not totally covered in pastel and some of the paper
underneath shows though, then it is referred to as a pastel drawing.
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Blending Pastel
Pastels can be blended in a variety of ways, such as
blending with a finger, a tortillon, a Q-tip, a cloth, or a special pastel
blending tool that is designed specifically for blending pastels.
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Outlines & Background
The first step in creating this pastel painting was to
lightly draw the outline of the still life in graphite. This same first step is
also used to create realistic watercolor and acrylic paintings.
A light blue pastel was then used to block in the
outline of the flowers and vase. The edge of the pastel was used to delineate
the detailed outline closest to the flowers, while the flat side of the pastel
was used for the broad application of filling in the background.
Smudging & Rubbing
Pastels on the paper can either be left as is, or they
can be rubbed to make the surface appear smoother.
Layering Colors
Another technique of pastel painting is to layer a
color over top of a previous layer of color to achieve a new color that is
richer and/or more varied in appearance. This can also create a depth to the
artwork. Similar techniques can be used when creating acrylic or watercolor
paintings.
After adding a new layer of pastel, you can choose to
blend the top layer or to leave the new layer as is.
Identifying Main Forms
The important step now is to outline the flowers and
the vase with the main colors, which helps define the different forms. This
helps you know “where you are” in the composition artwork, and forms the
backbone for more layers of pastel.
Adding Details
With the main ideas of the composition outlined, the
next step is to work on the details. Any colors that are applied will form the
foundation for future layers of color.
Color Groups
When working with pastels, as with most mediums, it is
generally wise to simultaneously focus on areas that fall into the same color
group.
One reason why it is smart to work in color groups is
because pastels are messy. The pastels will leave colored residue on the
artist’s fingers, which will need to be washed off before using the next color.
